Great Britain
The Kingdom of Great Britain was a state formed in 1707 by the unification of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland. During the first half of the 18th century, Great Britain had the world's strongest navy and army. It also had the world's largest empire, containing at it's peak one-fourth of the world's land area. History British Empire In 1578 Sir Humphrey Gilbert was granted a patent by Queen Elizabeth I for discovery and overseas exploration, and set sail for the West Indies with the intention of first engaging in piracy and on the return voyage, establishing a colony in North America. The expedition failed at the outset beacause of bad weather. In 1583 Gilbert embarked on a second attempt, on this occasion to the island of Newfoundland where he formally claimed for England the harbour of St. John's, though no settlers were left behind to colonise it. Gilbert did not survive the return journey to England, and was succeeded by his half-brother, Walter Raleigh, who was granted his own patent by Elizabeth in 1584, in the same year founding the colony of Roanoke on the coast of Carolina. Lack of supplies caused the colony to fail. In 1603, King James VI of Scotland ascended to the English throne and in 1604 negotiated the Treaty of London, ending hostilities with Spain. Now at peace with its main rival, English attention shifted form preying on other nations' colonial infrastructure to the busines of establishing its own overses colonies. Althought its beginnings were hit-and-miss, the British Empire began to take shape durign the early 17th century, with the English settlement of North America and the smaller islands of the Caribbean, and the establishment of a private company, the East India Trading Company, to trade with Asia. Reign of King George II Throughout his reign as King of Great Britain and Ireland, George Augustus resided in St. James's Palace in London, England. Several years after the War Against Piracy, King George and his ministers would learn that King Ferdinand of Spain had located the Fountain of Youth. In an attempt to solve the issue of finding the Fountain, the King and the Royal Navy tried to enlist help from the notorious pirate Jack Sparrow, who had knowledge of the route to the Fountain, after having heard rumors that Jack was recruiting a crew in London.Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide, p14-15: "The British" After Sparrow's escape, King George sent Hector Barbossa, a reformed pirate and privateer, to find the Fountain before the Spanish did. The British ultimately failed their mission to secure the Fountain in the King's name, with almost all of Barbossa's crew were killed and Barbossa himself returned to piracy.Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Appearances *''Jack Sparrow: City of Gold'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'' (video game) *''Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'' *''The Brightest Star in the North: The Adventures of Carina Smyth'' *''LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game'' Sources *''Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)'' *''Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide'' External links * * Notes and references Category:British Empire Category:Real-world locations Category:Europe locations